In a significant development, Justice Madan Bhim Rao Lokur has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Electricity Inquiry Commission in Telangana. This appointment comes as part of an order issued by the Supreme Court, following a petition filed by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) challenging the formation and impartiality of the previous chairman, Justice Narasimha Reddy.
The commission probed the allegations of irregularities committed during the previous BRS regime into power purchase agreements (PPA). The apex court had taken exception to the media conference held by Justice Narasimha Reddy who had served as the chief justice of the Patna High Court in the past, while he was heading the judicial commission to probe the PPAs signed while BRS was in power.
Since Justice Lokur had served as the chief justice of Andhra Pradesh before the bifurcation of the unified state he is well versed about the affairs of the state. He also had a long stint in the Supreme Court.
The order for his appointment was issued on Tuesday after an announcement by the chief minister A Revanth Reddy on the floor of the Assembly. While the BRS had claimed the Supreme Court’s ruling as a victory, the chief minister accused the Opposition of distorting the court’s directive on the Commission of inquiry on power purchase agreement.
Revanth Reddy pointed out that the Supreme Court had not cancelled the inquiry commission. KCR had deemed the probe as illegal arguing that inquiry commissions cannot be formed against decisions ratified by the Electricity Regulatory Commission. He had earlier even urged the previous chairman Justice Narasimha Reddy to withdraw from the inquiry accusing him of bias. The probe commission had already called Rao to depose before it.
The Congress government in the state, after it came to power, has appointed another commission headed by former judge of Supreme Court Pinaki Chandra Ghosh to probe the alleged irregularities committed during the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project.
